Driving Through the World’s Most Beautiful Country. Pakistan.

I apologise for being lazy with this and that I haven’t written anything for two weeks. We have been travelling, and I left my job to work on a project titled Project four seven. I will explain that at another juncture, and I am writing this from Bogota, Colombia. We’ve been in Colombia for 16 hours or so, but we’ll get to that later. Let’s focus on our 42nd country of Pakistan, the incredibly hyped Pakistan tourist destination of Shigar Fort.

My first thought of this day always stems back to the incredible views we encountered of Skardu, Pakistan. Seriously, Skardu and Pakistan, in general, may be the most beautiful country in the world! I don’t say that lightly; the views are spectacular! Don’t believe me? Check out our vlogs on our Youtube Travel Channel where we document our backpacking trip to Pakistan. Pakistan is stunning!!

I distinctly remember driving through numerous beautiful valleys, but why were we moving through the valleys of Pakistan? So we could get to the area’s main attraction: The Serena Shigar Fort. The excitement was right up there, but if I’m being candid, after the brilliant views on the way, indeed, Shigar Fort would feel a bit underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a top tourist destination in Pakistan for a reason, but I don’t believe that reason is for the fort itself; I think it’s more for the journey to Shigar Fort. Let’s explore if that’s the case or not.

After you depart Skardu city, you’ll enter a miniature village five minutes away, Hussainabad. Continuing east, you wind through gorgeous valleys and then breeze past Safaranga Desert before climbing mountains and witnessing picturesque postcard views. Massive Pine trees, lakes, deserts, and mountains all encompass into a single image. It is truly a fantastic sight to behold the beauty of Pakistan.

Ignoring the turn (for now) to Blind Lake, you continue into the village of Shigar. Please pay particular attention to the part of this beautiful journey where you enter the town of Shigar itself. There are so many interesting things to see, so many contrasts in how people live their lives, the smiles, the sounds, the overwhelming freedom of the people; it truly awakens the senses. The culture of Pakistan is engrained in Shigar, so if you fancy going on an adventure. Then you know what you must do. Book a ticket to Pakistan and then a domestic flight onwards to Skardu. Enjoy the stunning drive; It’s about a 2-hour journey, but wow, it is brilliant! You even get 4G reception there. It’s bonkers!

Once you arrive at the Serena Shigar Fort, you will be charged entry depending upon whether you are a foreigner or a Pakistani national. You will be offered a free Pakistani sim card if you are a foreigner. TAKE IT! After having travelled to 41 previous countries, we had learned never to take ‘Free Things’, but there was no deception here in Pakistan. The sim card is free, and you should take it upon entry to Serena Shigar Fort.

I wish I were a historian, an adventurous person with a love for artefacts. In truth, history does interest me, but those who know me personally know I’m no Nathan Drake (Uncharted on PlayStation, play it!) However, I can tell you that Shigar Fort is over 400 years old and was built in the 1600s. Within a couple of days of travelling to Pakistan, you’ll realise that in addition to the many lakes, mountain ranges, brilliant food and generous smiles, Pakistan also has a lot of forts! All possess their unique history, so if you’re a history buff, that’s another reason to visit Pakistan. However, Pakistan starts to differ because you can touch the artefacts! Like, for real, go right up to them and touch them. You can’t be doing that in Europe! MAD!

The grounds of Shigar are beautiful, and of course, it is where the fancy Serena hotel is located. The Serena hotel in Shigar charges 150USD per night, which doesn’t sit right with me, but that’s a story for another day. The best thing about the fort, hands down, is the drive to it. Visit Pakistan and when you do, spend limited time at the fort unless you’re a big fan of Pakistani relics or if you just fancy roadside mango juice.

Pakistan is full of wonders, definitely don’t miss out on driving through the world’s most beautiful country on your way to Shigar Fort.

Toodles!

USEFUL TIPS FOR BACKPACKING PAKISTAN:

How to visit Shigar Fort and Shigar Valley in Skardu Pakistan

So it’s essentially pretty easy to head to Shigar Fort. Firstly, you will need to head to Skardu, Pakistan. Skardu will be the central point for a lot of your excursions. Skardu certainly was for us, as you can tell from the numerous videos we have filmed there. We documented our flight from Islamabad to Skardu, showing you how to do that journey.

Once in Skardu, ask your hotel for a driver. We paid 5,000 PKR for this trip with a 4×4, including a driver and petrol. Ensure that whichever vehicle you book, driver and gasoline are included. As with anywhere, some companies can be a tad cheeky, so to avoid surprises later, it’s best to be upfront. Also, for those of you thinking, “Can I join a tour?” Yes, yes, you can. However, Urdu will be a prerequisite, and the travel conditions are unlike anywhere else. I am sure there are expensive tours, too, but our recommendation would be to hire a driver, travel in a 4×4 and then explore the beautiful valleys surrounding Skardu.

Your itinerary for the day will consist of Safaranga Desert, Blind Lake, and countless moments of awe at Pakistans beauty en route to Shigar Fort.

Enjoy! and don’t forget to tag Calamity Travels on Instagram. We’d love to see if you enjoyed backpacking Pakistan as much as we did!